Aspalathus chenopoda L.

An erect, much branched, rigid shrub 1-2 m tall, with a trunk up to more than 10 mm thick. Young branches densely tomentose. Leaflets spreading, subulate, needle-like, 4-12(-15) mm long, straight, rigid, sharp, bright green, ending in 1-2 mm long, sharp spines, subglabrous or with sparse, spreading, rather long hairs. Inflorescence a terminal, compact head of (3-)5-12 flowers. Bracts trifoliolate or unifoliolate, usually (at least the peripheral) with the leaflets on a pale, pubescent, woody stalk up to 4 mm long; leaflet needle-like, (5-)7-13.5 mm long, similar to leaflets of vegetative leaves but more densely pubescent. Pedicel 2 mm long or less, tomentose. Bracteoles acicular, (3.3-)4-8 mm long, 0.2-0.4 mm thick, ending in a sharp spine, with sparse, spreading hairs. Calyx tube densely tomentose-woolly; lobes subulate-acicular, 6.5-11 mm long, straight, rigid, sharp, green, ending in sharp spinelets, with sparse, spreading, long hairs. Petals bright yellow. Standard blade broadly obovate, (10.3-)11-13.5 x 9-12.5 mm, apically rounded or retuse but with a short or up to 2 mm long, glabrous, spine-like, sometimes basally re-flexed cusp; back densely sericeous. Wing blades narrowly rectangular-elliptic, 7-10 x 2.7-4.4 mm. Keel blades lunate, 8-10 x 3.5-4.8 mm, glabrous, with slightly convex upper margin. Wing and keel claws ±5.5-8 mm long, adnate to the staminal sheath for most of their length. Pistil: glabrous. Pad triangular-ovate, 6-6.5 x 3.5-4 mm, glabrous.